LED ZEPPELIN III 1970 EX Plum/Red UK 1st Press with "Do What Thou Wilt" etchings

	£		145
	$		192

LED ZEPPELIN - III

First UK Press 1970 RED/PLUM label

Atlantic 2401002

This has the continuous catalogue number on label as opposed to second and third presses which had the hyphen between "240" and  "1002". Matrices are A-5 and B-5, the earliest possible matrices. Only these first presses have the original hand etchings!!! ("Do what thou wilt" and "So mote it be").

 1st UK PRESS 

 1970

SUPERB CLASSIC FIRST PRESS ALBUM IN WONDERFUL EX  CONDITION.

Led Zeppelin III is the third studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was recorded between January and July 1970 and released on 5 October 1970 by Atlantic Records. Composed largely at a remote cottage in Wales known as Bron-Yr-Aur, this work represented a maturing of the band's music towards a greater emphasis on folk and acoustic sounds. This surprised many fans and critics, and upon its release the album received rather indifferent reviews.

Although it is not one of the highest sellers in Zeppelin's catalogue, Led Zeppelin III is now generally praised, and acknowledged as representing an important milestone in the band's history. Although acoustic songs are featured on Led Zeppelin III's predecessors, it is this album which is widely acknowledged for showing that Led Zeppelin was more than just a conventional rock band and that they could branch out into wider musical territory.

Led Zeppelin III's original vinyl edition was packaged in a gatefold sleeve with an innovative cover, designed by Zacron, a multi-media artist whom Page had met in 1963 whilst Zacron was a student at Kingston College of Art.[23] He had recently resigned a lectureship at Leeds Polytechnic to found Zacron Studios, and in 1970 Page contacted him and asked him to design the third album's cover.

The cover and interior gatefold art consisted of a surreal collection of seemingly random images on a white background, many of them connected thematically with flight or aviation (as in "Zeppelin"). Behind the front cover was a rotatable laminated card disc, or volvelles, covered with more images, including photos of the band members, which showed through holes in the cover. Moving an image into place behind one hole would usually bring one or two others into place behind other holes.

This is an amazing British original copy complete with the original inner sleeve! This is a tough record to find very clean like this one. One of the best copies to be offered on ebay!

Vinyl condition: A solid EX condition! Lightly played as can be seen from the few spindle traces but this has clearly been looked after very well with just light hairlines not affecting the audio. Fantastic audio on replay. Very clear stereo with great separation. Another sublime Atlantic recording!!!

Gatefold sleeve condition: EX condition again. A well looked after example of this classic album. The rotating volvelle is in excellent working condition. The edges are beautiful and the colours are rich as first issued. This is also an ORIGINAL UK sleeve. Many sleeves would have been married up with German or American sleeves, easily recognizable with the "Made in Germany" to the back or in the case of an American sleeve a WRONG catalogue number to the front in the blue Atlantic logo. This is an original and in an admirable condition.

Labels: Unmarked, no writing or smudging. Solid EX or better.

Inner sleeve: EX. This is the original blue printed polylined bag as it was first sold.

Rarity: Extremely rare, nowadays impossible to find.

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